In certain chemical processes it is necessary to conduct fluid in both gaseous and liquid form through tubes during different stages of the specific process. In certain instances it is necessary to impart turbulence to the fluid in order to enhance the mixing quality to the flow and as such it is necessary to insert in the tubes or conduits means for creating turbulence. One such device is a multivane turbulator, which is a member which fits within the tube or conduit and resembles a spiral such that the liquids or fluids will flow about the vanes of the spiral thus creating the required turbulence.
The manufacture of these devices has been quite complicated and expensive in the past because of the special apparatus necessary to produce the device. For example, certain methods require the joining of strips of flat stock at a central point, welding the stock together and twisting the stock in order to produce the turbulator. Other methods include wrapping a flat member about a central axis support member and welding the member at different points along the support member. Both of the aforementioned methods require production costs and time, which the present invention has as one of its purposes to reduce.
When it is necessary to produce turbulators with a large number of vanes, for example, six or eight, the aforementioned processes become even more difficult and expensive to accomplish since the materials become cumbersome in handling. The present system of producing multivane turbulators, therefore, is designed to permit production of turbulators having different numbers of vanes as required for a particular process.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a method for producing multivane turbulators which are simple and require relatively inexpensive production apparatus and materials.
It is another object of the present invention to produce multivane turbulators which are self-supporting and require little or no welding to produce.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a simplified method for producing multivane turbulators in order to reduce production costs and time.